Support the Trail Bridge over Lee Highway

[thucydides]

Note that the Arlington-East Falls Church neighborhood association (or least its president) has come out against the project in a letter to the council. It’s cloaked in “let’s slow down and study this language” but the clear intent is to kill it. She cites a hodge-podge of “let’s see if something sticks” reasons. Many if not most are pure non-sequitur, e.g., there are flaws in other parts of the trail so let’s not fix this if we can’t fix it all. A real doozy complaint is that a bridge, “presents a massive visual and functional barrier to the sights and activity of East Falls Church area.”

[Tania]

@thucydides 153519 wrote:

A real doozy complaint is that a bridge, “presents a massive visual and functional barrier to the sights and activity of East Falls Church area.”

Because that intersection is so lovely as it is…?

[Judd]

@Tania 153520 wrote:

Because that intersection is so lovely as it is…?

We don’t want to detract from the natural beauty of the self storage building’s parking lot.

[Subby]

If you are on the fence about supporting it, remember that a bridge will increase the amount of climbing for your commute.

[huskerdont]

@Subby 153530 wrote:

If you are on the fence about supporting it, remember that a bridge will increase the amount of climbing for your commute.

I think this is a good thing. I think Subby thinks this is a good thing. Some may not think this is a good thing.

[bentbike33]

@Judd 153526 wrote:

We don’t want to detract from the natural beauty of the self storage building’s parking lot…

…or the awe-inspiring vista of the Cars USA inventory as seen from the Econo Lodge. There’s a premium for those rooms, you know.

[consularrider]

@bentbike33 153532 wrote:

…or the awe-inspiring vista of the Cars USA inventory as seen from the Econo Lodge. There’s a premium for those rooms, you know.

Or the Metro station and the power substation.

[lordofthemark]

@Subby 153530 wrote:

If you are on the fence about supporting it, remember that a bridge will increase the amount of climbing for your commute.

I hate spoiling good jokes, but only if you choose the climb. “The at-grade crossing will remain”

Will be an interesting experiment, to see how riders pick between elevation versus avoiding a road crossing.

[bentbike33]

@huskerdont 153531 wrote:

Some may not think this is a good thing.

Yes, I now purposefully ride Westmoreland St. instead of taking Van Buren up to the trail to slightly reduce the amount of climbing I have to do on my commute, although if a bridge were built, I would probably use it because no stop lights.

[EasyRider]

Chris, you wrote that the design is up in the air. It sounds like aesthetics matter to those who are opposed to it … as if they’ve got some image in their mind about what it will look like, or have seen one is the area that bothers them. Are there any preliminary sketches or existing models that they might be reacting to? (“a massive visual and functional barrier”) If they are assuming it would look like the the pedestrian bridges over Route 50 at Irving, or near the Home Depot at Seven Corners, I kind of understand why they are getting worked up. Those things are pretty utilitarian, have really long ramp approaches, etc.

Perhaps instead of imagining something so stout it could have supported a freight train, opponents could imagine something that is more of a “gateway” to Falls Church and Arlington. Something compact, architecturally interesting, something that could be decorated with lights at the holidays, something pleasing not just to pedal over, but drive under.

It’s just inside Arlington County, correct? What do Falls Church counterparts have to say, if anything?

[huskerdont]

Especially now that Sam’s Garden Center has been replaced with offices/condos/what-TF-ever, the bridge over Route 7 is more aesthetically pleasing than most anything else along there (with the possible exception of Dominion Wine and Beer, but that’s just beauty on the inside). Whenever I have to travel down Route 7 and pass that bridge, it’s like a reminder that things that aren’t ugly still exist. A nice-looking bridge really can be a selling point. As can the fact that fewer cyclists/peds at the Lee Highway intersection may mean shorter delays for drivers.

[Subby]

@bentbike33 153535 wrote:

Yes, I now purposefully ride Westmoreland St. instead of taking Van Buren up to the trail to slightly reduce the amount of climbing I have to do on my commute

This is the saddest thing I think I have ever read on the forum. I think it’s like 29 vertical feet total from trailhead to the WOD connector at the top.

[ursus]

@bentbike33 153532 wrote:

…or the awe-inspiring vista of the Cars USA inventory as seen from the Econo Lodge. There’s a premium for those rooms, you know.

There are other candidates, but that Cars USA lot is one of the biggest eyesores on the whole W&OD especially considering that it encroaches on the W&OD right of way.

[huskerdont]

To just un-hijack the thread a little bit, I did write the county board. Not much for speaking in public myself, so it was the least that could be done.

[bentbike33]

@Subby 153539 wrote:

I think it’s like 29 vertical feet total from trailhead to the WOD connector at the top.

That means I save 9 feet!

As a youth I was a competitive swimmer. Our coach would refer to the kids who were not working hard during practice as “leakers” (I suppose originating from the habit of kids trying to get extra rest by going to the toilet). My compatriots and I, of course, zealously adopted the label despite being rather talented swimmers (many age-group state championships among us). So, once a leaker, always a leaker, I guess.*

*This may also be a contributing factor to my recumbency; less wind resistance.

[Author]

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